A traffic stop on Interstate 77 near Rock Hill led to the seizure of approximately one kilogram of cocaine and a drug trafficking charge against a Charlotte man, according to a York County Sheriff's Office incident report.
Joseph Alexander Aviles, 32, was pulled over around 1:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18. A sheriff's office K-9 then alerted to his vehicle, as first reported by the Rock Hill Herald. Agents with the county's Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit (MDEU) searched the car and found the cocaine, according to the report.
The MDEU draws officers from seven agencies to investigate drug offenses across York County, according to the sheriff's office.
The incident report described the quantity as approximately one kilogram, or roughly 1,000 grams. That is well above the 400-gram threshold that triggers the most severe trafficking penalty under South Carolina Code § 44-53-370.
A conviction at that level carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison. No part of the sentence may be suspended, and no probation may be granted. The charge also carries a $200,000 fine.
Aviles was denied bail after a hearing Friday, Sept. 18, at the Moss Justice Center. He remains in the York County jail, according to court records.
I-77 runs through Fort Mill and Tega Cay, connecting York County to Charlotte. The sheriff's office K-9 unit handles drug searches, suspect tracking and missing-person searches across the county, according to the agency's website.
Anyone with information about drug activity in York County can contact the sheriff's office at 803-628-3059 or submit a tip through the York County Sheriff's Office website.
